This is a weird split. weird not in a grotesque or horrible way but more in a creeping sense of uncanny atmosphere. Xenoglossy Productions is a newish label from Italy representing a slew of underground European acts. One of their missions is to hammer out a visual style to unite all of these releases under one aesthetic banner. Until this happens, most of the releases on Xenoglossy range from the odd to the bizarre with the Illuminated Manuscripts / Deathvoid being a solemn photo of a canopied bed. Again nothing outright and shocking just a growing sensation that not everything is right.

Both acts employ black metal just a feral version of the sound with Illuminated manuscripts sending the sound through dungeons and abandoned cathedrals. Deathvoid on the other hand breaks down the sound into one of the more lo fi landscapes of the year with the vocals buried a few miles under soil. Whatever the case, this split from both artists was enough to ensnare the imagination of listeners who wanted something haunted and surreal.

Xenoglossy has a few other releases as of recent with no real plans to focus on a core sound. From mi paced mid fi black metal to something that sounds like it was buried in a closet for years, part of my excitement for this label and this split comes from finding something while it was still being worked out. The future of heavy metal digging will be surrounding labels that are still forming.